Gibeon orphans on photographer radar

Three photographers have raised N$19,000 for the‘Help Me Children’s Home’ in Gibeon within two weeks by collaborating on a charity project named ‘Three Lenses, One Focus’. Victoria Ashipala from Vtoriia Photography, Anna Akwenda from Azo Photography and Nathan Chituti from Motion in Pixel raised the funds by doing family and portrait shoots for only N$500 which would normally cost N$2200.
According to the photographers they used N$7000 to buy blankets, N$7500 to buy food and toiletries and the rest of the funds, N$4500, to buy school uniforms and socks for the children. Chituti confirmed that they raised more money than they initially expected and that there are 21 blankets left which they intend to donate to a charity home in Okahandja.
“Now with this project having come to an end, we are currently looking to other ways we can use our skills to give back to the community in the near future. Therefore this is not a once off project but will in the future target other society sectors that may need assistance,” explained Ashipala.
NAMSOV Fishing Enterprise heard about the ‘Thee Lenses, One Focus’ initiative and pledged N$7000 which brought the total raised to N$19,000. Jamilla Jacobs from the NAMSOV Community Trust, stated that it is always amazing to find young talented Namibian youth giving back to their communities. “And we are very passionate about uplifting and improving the lives of Namibian people through our projects and bursary programmes. We encourage the private and public sectors to take the initiative in projects that will strengthen the fight against poverty and bring about true inclusiveness” she said.
Help Me Children’s Home is an initiative by Lydia Kooper, who runs it by herself. The charity currently assists 24 children comprising 14 girls and 10 boys. The youngest child is in Kindergarten and the oldest is in grade 9. She pays for their education, and she has identified that their vital needs are food, mattresses and winter clothing.